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Sunday, February 24, 2013

The Ladies of Faith: Unsung Heroes

by HanjaeFrom
the outset, Faith appeared to be a male-dominated drama; the very
period it was set in signified that the male characters would logically
be at the forefront of most events, whether it be political or military
in nature. What becomes quickly apparent, however, is that the ladies of
Faith are just as central to the story as the men, their delicate
appearances belying their towering inner strength. Eun Soo, Noguk, Lady
Choi, Hwa Soo In and even Mae Hee present a variety of characters with
differing skill sets, the latter three of whom defy the traditional
portrayal of women as physically weak. Although they may not all be
equals to men in the arena of physical prowess, they are certainly their
equals in intellect, charisma and inner strength, a point which is made
frequently through their interactions with Gongmin, Choi Young and
other male counterparts. This emphasis on male-female equality may be
anachronistic, but it is certainly appreciated by a modern viewer.

At
the end of Episode 19 and the beginning of Episode 20, we meet Future
Eun Soo, who embodies another major theme that runs through the drama -
regret. She regrets her decisions that have directly or indirectly
caused suffering to those she cares about most and above all, she
regrets being at the root of Choi Young's regret. Yet, Future Eun Soo
also symbolizes faith and hope in her very act of journeying through the
past in order to rectify her mistakes, so it is not only regret that
she embodies, but also the strength to leave it behind and move forward
in order to find another way. As Present Eun Soo realizes at the end of
the drama, "true sincerity," hope and faith that everything will work
out are what opens the window of opportunity that gave her a second
chance at a happy future. Before she could take that step, she had to
"leave this regret behind," symbolized by leaving her message in the
film canister behind the rock.

Taking this theme of strength
further, not only did Eun Soo seek to make the "correct" decisions that
will prevent future regret on her part, but she also sought to save Choi
Young from experiencing the same pain. On their journey back to the
palace, she masked her own trepidation behind a bright smile in order to
give him strength, while she fought against her desire to flee. Even as
Young struggled, Eun Soo stood rock solid and is the one who wins the
mental battle in the end - they will go back to the palace, to absolve
him of any regrets about leaving the king in danger. Ironically it is
Eun Soo who protects Young emotionally, even though Young protects her
physically.

This
facet is paralleled in the relationship between Gongmin and Noguk.
Physically Noguk is delicate and as a woman of her rank in that period,
she is far more softly spoken than Eun Soo. Behind that exterior,
however, lies an iron will that is equal to Eun Soo's and intelligence
and political savvy that rivals that of Gongmin. The scene that best
displays this is Episode 22 - where Gongmin may have failed, she
succeeded in moving the stubborn scholar-officials to action. Gongmin
also acknowledges this; not only does he rely increasingly on her quiet,
unshakeable strength but he actually respects and follows her opinion
on state matters. More importantly, Noguk, like Eun Soo, protects
Gongmin emotionally - for every one of his many regrets, Noguk counters
it with a suggestion to rectify the situation. Like Eun Soo, she sees
the real answer as leaving the regret behind so that one can find a
solution, rather than wallowing in past failures. The very extent to
which Gongmin is emotionally shattered at Noguk's later kidnapping
underscores her value as the pillar of strength by his side.

Other
characters like Lady Choi combine both inner strength and intelligence
with the ability to defend physically; she is probably the only person
in the palace, perhaps even the country, who has both Gongmin and Choi
Young deferring to her wisdom and the only one who can give Young a good
smack upside the head. As for Hwa Soo In, we know too little about her
to gauge anything other than her evident physical prowess, but she
represents another sort of woman in Faith; one who is even more volatile
and prone to violence than the men in her party. Interestingly, it is
Hwa Soo In who is often relied upon to take action for Team Villain,
while Cheon Eum Ja provides back-up and Ki Chul does the planning. And
Mae Hee, despite lack of mental fortitude bringing about her downfall,
was on par with the best of the Jeogwoldae.

For all that the
events of Faith are set into motion by the kidnapping of Eun Soo and
further complicated by a number of powerful men all wrestling to possess
her, it is all the more remarkable that Eun Soo refused to let herself
be objectified. At each turn she fought to remain in control of her own
best interests even if she had to resort to bargaining with the
opposition. Viewers have often drawn attention to Young acting as her
constant protector, but I believe that true wisdom also includes
acknowledging your own shortcomings - she is never going to be able to
fight off attempts on her life, so it would in fact be idiocy rather
than strength to insist on her own defense. Eun Soo's real strengths lay
in other areas, and the other ladies of Faith only reinforced that
physical strength cannot be truly efficient in isolation from inner
strength. While the main men of Faith were by no means weak, it is when
they acted in partnership with or were reinforced by the very different
kind of strength that their female counterparts offered that they were
at their most effective.